It's time for Florida Foodies to answer the call! Kent "The Deck Chef" Whitaker is searching family kitchens in the Sunshine state for beloved dishes for the Florida Hometown Cookbook!

Want a free cookbook that features your recipe! Send a recipe in for your free book! Do you have a favorite recipe that your family enjoys? Does your food related association have a tasty dish that represents your group? Are you a chef, or small mom and pop restaurant, with the desire to see one of your recipes in print in order to gain some free PR? National Barbecue News writer, and Food Network / Emeril Live Barbecue Contest Winner, Kent Whitaker is putting out the call for recipes representing the State of Florida. The next book in the Hometown Cookbook series covers fantastic dishes, recipes, people, places, festivals, and more about the Sunshine state.

How to Submit a Recipe and the Process!

"These books represent a culinary slice of each state. Instead of Kent and I using our own recipes we meet, learn from and include recipes and dishes from people from, born in, worked in or even stationed in each state as we go," co-author in the series Sheila Simmons said. "We also include information on great food festivals in the state, some history, some food history... but mostly, great recipes that people and families choose to share with us."

According to Simmons and Whitaker the recipes are credited to the person sending them in and that person will receive a free copy of the book if their recipe is used.

"It's all about family cooking. Meat and three's, Sunday go to meeting, picnics and of course tailgates if you are a sports fan," Whitaker added. "Well, I love sports cooking. But my love for cooking came from my grandparents and my mom and dad. So we encourage anyone that submits a recipe to please include a few lines about where it came from. Your parents, your grandparents, a friend, if it's a holiday favorite. We want to honor the memory of the recipe as much as you want to share it." Whitaker said.

If you wish to submit a recipe from your family collection for the Florida Hometown Cookbook, please email it, or any questions, to Kent Whitaker at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Everyone is Invited! Full Credit, Free Book!

Recipes can come from anyone! Tasty dishes are not limited to family kitchens! We are always looking for hometown growers, producers and foodies. So feel free to send us a recipe that uses a local product, or even your own product. Here's a few of the sources for recipes in the other titles in the series. Everything, including photos, are credited to the source!

Family recipes

Associations - Such as beef, seafood, pork, poultry, and even bee keeper associations!

Celebrities, politicians, sports figures, and more!

Restaurants, owners, chefs, pit masters.

State agencies such as wildlife resources.

Colleges, frat and sorority cooks, team trainers and nutritionists.

Military cooks and more!

Tips For Your Free Copy!

SEND MORE THAN ONE IF POSSIBLE! - We often get similar recipes for similar dishes. Which means we can't fit every recipe for hash brown casserole that is sent to us in the book! Some people are disappointed to find out their recipes were not used. Please take the time to send in two or more recipes in different category.

INCLUDE A BACKSTORY!- Recipes that contain even a few lines of backstory (This was grannies favorite and she passed it onto.....) are more likely to be selected than a recipe that just includes a list of ingredients. The bread and butter of the Hometown Cookbook Series are real recipes from real people in each state. The great news is this - real people make up the associations, restaurants, colleges, military, and where ever good eats are served up!

If you wish to submit a recipe from your family collection for the Florida Hometown Cookbook, please email it, or any questions, to Kent Whitaker at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

More than Just Cookbooks!

The Hometown Cookbook Series includes Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, West Virginia, Mississippi, and West Virginia. What fuels the demand for the titles in the series is that the books are much more than just cookbooks! Every effort is made to include some type of story, or back story, for each recipe! Why is it a family favorite? How did this dish become a constant on a menu? What makes this pie special compared to others your family or friends slice up?

The books also contain striking and tasty images as well as pictures from around the state. A bit of history and trivia are sprinkled in for good measure and the dish is topped off with a listing of foodie related festivals. The Hometown Cookbook series is more than static recipes on boring pages! Each book is a slice of culinary history as well as a great read!

If you wish to submit a recipe from your family collection for the Florida Hometown Cookbook, please email it, or any questions, to Kent Whitaker at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Kent Whitaker, also known as "The Deck Chef," is a culinary writer and cookbook author. He's also penned Young Reader and History titles. The former winner of the Emeril Live Food Network Barbecue Contest also covers football, motorsports, and bass fishing. Kent currently lives in East Tennessee with his wife, son, and a couple of dogs that love when he fires up the smoker or grill.